Feederick a



(No Model.)

P. A. STOHLMANN. ULAM PING DEVICE POR PORUEPS, 860.

No. 385,076. Patented June 26, 1888.

FREDERICK A. STOHLMANN, or BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR T GEORGE TIEMANN & 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLAMPING DEVICE FOR FORCEPS, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No, 385,076, dated June 26, 1888.

Application filed January 9, 1888. Serial No. 266.142. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK AQSTOHL- MANN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Clamping Devices for Nippers,

Forceps, &c., of which the following is a specification.

Nippers and forceps of various characters have been made, in which the jaws are brought together by pressure of the thumb and finger upon the shanks or lever portions. These forceps are used in tying up arteries, and in various surgical operations, as well as in mechanical operations--such as in watch making and repairing.

In these forceps or nippers the jaws are usually opened by a spring; hence such jaws release their hold upon the thread or other object as soon as the pressure is relieved. A swinging latch on onejaw has been used to hold the other, as in my Patent No. 348,537, but it has to be moved by hand, and it sometimes swings away from the teeth and loses its hold.

The object of my invention is to clamp the jaws and hold them together by an automatic appliance that is brought into action by the pressure upon the jaws themselves, and hence requires no attention or separate movement 0 on the part of the person handling such forceps; but the pressure is released whenever desired by amovement of the operators hand that unlatchcs the clamp and allows the jaws to spring apart.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, partiallyin section, in magnified size, ofasingle pair of forceps with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a double pair of forceps. Fig. 3 is an elevation in larger size 0 of the clamping device.

The forceps are made with the lever-handles 1 2, and with jaws3 4 at the ends. Sometimes the levers are made as springs, as shown in Fig. 1, and at other times with a separate 45 spring, as in Fig. 2; and in this Fig. 2 the levers are represented as rigid and pivoted togegher at 5 and provided with jaws at both on s.

The clamping device is in the form of a latch, 7, pivoted at 8 to one lever of the forceps and passing through a mortise in the other lever of the forceps, and having one or more catches, 10 1-1, and a head or thumb-piece, 12, and there is a finger, 13, with which theinner face of one of the levers comes into contact as the jaws are closed, or nearly so, and at this time the head 12 has passed through the mortise and the latch is swung to bring-the catch 10 over the metal of thelever at the end of the mortise and thereby clamp or hold the two levers of the forceps together at the point at which they have been compressed. If there is a second catch, 11, as in Fig. 2, it will be brought into action by the latch being swung still farther by the pressure upon the finger 13, as the levers of the forceps are further closed or sprung by the pressure, thereby holding the forceps more firmly closed; but

when the forceps are to be opened it is only necessary to press back the thumb-piece or head 12 and the spring opens the jaws of the forceps, liberating whatever has been within such jaws.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination, with the levers and jaws in forceps or nippers, ofaclampinglatch pivoted to one of the levers and having a catch or latch to hold the other lever, and a finger that is acted upon by the moving lever to swing the latch automatically, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the levers and jaws in forceps or nippers, of a clampinglatch and a pivot for connecting the same to one of the levers, such clamping-latch passing through a mortise in the other lever, and having one or more catches and a thumbpiece and the finger 13, whereby the clamp is rendered automatic as the forceps are closed,substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this th day of December, 1887.

FREDERICK A. STOHLMANN. Witnesses:

(3120. T. PINoKNEY, WILLIAM G. Moms. 

